Sun Come Up
by purrpickle
Summary: What does it take to catch the eye of your perfect mate? Do you need special blood? A vision of being with that person? Or can you get them by being a normal human, just another person in the crowd? Bella Swan will soon find out. Eventual femslash. A/B.
1. Chapter 1

AN: First off, I do not own Twilight nor the characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyers. Also, this fic will contain femslash/girl-girl loving/lesbians, and probably gay men as well, seeing as statistics make it logical. I also don't usually have to disclaim this, but yes, this fic will also contain heterosexual romance. If _that _bothers you, please turn back now. You have been warned. :p

And now, a little discussion of what this fic will be _trying_ to do. Let's see how much I do with that, eh? XD Anyways:

So, I have noticed that every single fanfiction that deals with Alice/Bella (or other pairings) all have one or a combination of these in common:  
a) Edward cannot read Bella's mind (canon)  
b) Alice cannot see any visions that have to do with Bella  
c) Instantly, every single male at Forks High falls for Bella/everyone stares at the new girl/it's so amazing that she's come!/etc  
d) Bella's a vampire/werewolf/more than human  
e) Alice sees visions that tell her Bella will be very important to her/her family/soulmates  
Or f) Bella's blood is _incredibly _delicious smelling and it's hard for vampires to control themselves around her (canon).

So, here's my idea:  
a) Edward _can _read her mind  
b) Alice _can _see visions with Bella in them  
c) Bella is attractive, but nobody pays any more attention to her than normal/she's already been at the school for a while so her 'newness' has worn off  
d) Bella's a completely normal human  
e) Alice doesn't see any particularly interesting visions about Bella  
and f) Bella's blood smells no more appetizing than anyone else's.

You see, after reading story after story after story, it was really interesting to see what the authors would do to 'jump start' the romance. And it was usually something big. But it made me start thinking. _Was _Bella only loved because Edward couldn't read her mind? _Was _Bella only loved because it was ordained she would be?

Sure, there were All Human fics, but that wasn't the same thing. That made everyone on the same level. Well, what if I didn't _want _the characters to be on the same level? Could Bella, with just her natural charms, _actually _attract a super non-human?

To pull it all together: What if Bella was no more special than, say, Angela, or Jessica? Would she be able to, as a normal human, with nothing spectacular about herself, still manage to snag herself a vampire lover? It's this question that interests me. With nothing alerting the Cullens to anything spectacular about Bella (no lovely blood smell, no unable to read minds, no premonition of soulmate-atude), what could happen to make them (or one in particular) notice this normal human above the high school sheep?

Without further ado, let's find out, hmm? Enjoy. :}

* * *

Winter quarter was about to start, and Bella Swan had absolutely no idea what she should sign up for her electives. There was always more P.E., but she didn't think her uncoordinated self would do well in a class where she had to run practically every minute. She had mused about Home Ec., but again, her and knives? Hot stoves? No thank you. That was like a disaster just waiting to happen.

Pausing the chewing of her bottom lip, she sighed, ruffling the papers that held the list of electives. If it was so hard _now_, figuring out what to do when she was still a junior, what would it be like choosing for a whole 'nother year? Though she'd probably be taking SAT prep classes or something, she mused. She crinkled her nose, not really wanting to think about that yet.

Okay, so no P.E. nor Home Ec. Should she take a geek route and join the Science Club? Nahh. She may be pretty knowledgeable about the various subjects, but she couldn't see herself being interested enough to be entertained for an extra hour every day. So, not a repeat elective. That probably meant that Creative Writing was out, too. While Bella enjoyed writing the odd poem every now and again (but not so much that she thought of herself as a poet), she didn't think she'd have the drive to finish stories or have enough imagination to flesh out characters.

Grah! This was annoying. Why couldn't she just make up her mind, already? Her top three choices weren't due until Monday, and it being Friday, she'd rather turn it in that day. If she waited til Monday, she just knew her whole weekend would be wrapped up in the indecision. Hopefully, though, when she finally _did _turn in the paper at some point that day, she wouldn't be worrying all weekend that she'd pick the right ones, either.

Throwing back her hair and slipping a few unruly strands behind her ear, she stretched her shoulders. Hunching over the lunch table really wasn't the most comfortable of positions.

"Hey, Bella," a young man's voice spoke up right before a lunch tray slid onto the table next to her.

Looking up, she smiled at Mike Newton. "Hey Mike. Any luck with what you picked for next quarter?"

"Aww, you still stressing over that?" Mike shook his head, his slightly shaggy blond hair brushing against the color of his jacket. He obviously found her predicament funny, as the smirk on his face illustrated.

Bella let the air out of her mouth with a light smack of her lips. "Of course! Why shouldn't I be? It's not like I can just pick nothing and be done with it!"

"Why not choose a homeroom?" Angela Weber took the seat on the other side of Bella, setting her own lunch tray down. Where Mike had stocked up on meat, meat, and more meat in the form of two different kinds of sandwiches and what passed as Forks High's mystery meat, the tall girl with glasses had opted for her usual apple and salad (this time egg). Bella had gotten a mixture of what her friends had: an untouched apple and turkey sandwich sat on her tray. "That could be 'nothing'."

Bella shook her head. "But that would be _boring_!"

"Heaven forbid." Angela hid her grin badly.

Mike patted her shoulder, "It's not too bad, Bella. Heck, if you're lucky, they let you nap in the library if you have no homework to do."

She thought that over. Napping? During school hours? That just sounded… wrong. "No…" she shook her head again, finally reaching for her apple. Setting the papers down, she took a big bite of the fruit, chewed, and swallowed. "So, what did you guys decide on?"

Her friends exchanged glances over her shoulder to decide who should talk first. With a slight shrug, Mike picked up his sandwich. Rolling her eyes, Angela took that as a sign to speak first.

"I'm taking Journalism, remember? Kinda have to, seeing as I'm on the newspaper staff."

Oh yeah. Feeling a little foolish for forgetting, Bella nodded, grateful for the smile that told her Angela wasn't annoyed with her. "Well, Mike? Wha'd you pick?"

The teenage boy puffed out his chest proudly. "Basketball!" he crowed. "Coach says I may actually get the chance to play this year."

"Oh, that's great, Mike!" Bella smiled broadly at him. She really was happy for her friend; he had broken his ankle the year before and had been benched all season. She'd heard all about it when she'd moved back to Forks three months ago. Leaning in a little, she wagged her finger at him playfully, "Now, just don't snowboard off a cliff this year, and you'll be good."

Mike had the grace to blush a little, but he coughed it off. "I told you," he whined, starting in on his second sandwich already, "That was only because they hadn't marked the boundaries clearly enough!"

Angela's eyebrow rose, and she smirked, "You mean Jessica Stanley had just skied in front of you in her tight, tight, ski pants."

Mike flushed and grumbled something under his breath. Bella was quite glad she hadn't been able to make it out. She loved her friend and all, but she _really _did not want to hear about his infatuation with their friend Jessica.

When Bella had first arrived, the blond had tried to pursue her, seeing her as something like 'Flavor of the Week'. However, after Bella turned him down for the fifth time, he'd finally realized that it wasn't going to happen, and quite happily gone back to ogling Jessica. If Bella hadn't been quite sure she wasn't interested in the teenage boy, it probably would have hurt her feelings to see him so quickly give her up, but because she truly wasn't, she was more thankful than not. But now, it was getting a little annoying at how clueless her two friends, Jessica and Mike, were. Jessica was just as interested in Mike as Mike was interested in her.

As if aware of Bella's thoughts, Jessica had finally arrived, taking the spot across from Mike. Immediately, the pretty brunette's whole focus was on Mike, and vice versa. The girl smiled at him, almost batting her eyes, "Hi, Mike."

Mike puffed up his chest unconsciously, smiling back, "Hey, Jess."

The two then started eating their lunches madly, pointedly _not _looking at each other.

Rolling her eyes, Bella exchanged affectionate smirks with Angela. Those two had it _bad_.

"Hey all!" And Eric Yorkie had arrived, taking his customary seat across from Angela, "Any luck with picking your new elective, Bella?"

Bella groaned, setting the newly finished apple core down onto her tray. "You're not going to give me any rest from worrying about that, are you?" she asked faux snidely, pitching her comment to the whole group. "No, wait, before you answer that, what did you choose?"

"Journalism." Eric pointed at Angela.

Duh! Bella felt like slapping her forehead. Of course the two lovebirds would continue to work on the school newspaper together. She smiled, shaking her head. "Duh. Yeah, I should have guessed. Well, it's between nothing decided, nothing decided, and oh, lookie here, nothing decided. Seriously, it shouldn't be so hard to _choose _something!"

There was a chorus of murmurs that followed her statement, and Bella could almost _hear _the silent laughter at her expense. Grasping at straws, she turned to Jessica, "So, what did _you _pick?"

Jessica blushed, and her gaze skittered over to where Mike was sitting with a smile on his face, waiting to hear what she said. "I, uhm, I figured I'd try out for cheerleading next term."

"Seriously?" Mike burst out. "Then you can cheer for me! Coach said I might actually get to play this term!"

A giant smile ripped across Jessica's face, and Bella could almost see her visions of herself as a cheerleader hanging off of Mike the ace basketball player's arm. It was almost enough to make Bella puke, but she fought down the reaction. If – when! – the two teenagers got together, she'd be happy for them. But right now, it was pretty nauseous.

Jessica tittered. "I'm so happy for you, Mike!"

Oh _god_. Bella rolled her eyes and turned to Angela and Eric, who at least weren't making her overdose on a sugar overload. "Do you have any ideas on what I could pick?" she asked Eric, actually interested in hearing what he thought.

"Well," the cute Asian boy picked up his fork, shrugging, "Angela and I thought you'd be perfect for the school newspaper, actually."

"What?" That caught Bella off guard. But then Angela smiled and nodded at her, and she closed her mouth.

"It's true. We're looking for a new reporter, and Angela's told me about how well you do in English. Of course, if you'd prefer to do photography, that's fine too." Eric grinned and fingered the strap of the camera he always wore around his neck.

Bella grinned. "You'd like that, wouldn't you. _Both _of you," she amended her statement to include both him and Angela, "Having me there would cut back on the work you both'd have to do."

Angela grinned back, her eyes twinkling behind her glasses. "Depends on what job you'd do," she quipped. "Who says we won't make you be the copy editor?"

"Oh god." Bella shuddered, "I wouldn't want to do that! I mean… I'd rather be the _writer_, if anything."

"So you'd like to do it? Join the newspaper? Scoop the scoops?" Angela looked far more excited than she should.

Bella mulled it over. She never would have thought of joining the newspaper on her own, but the more she thought about it, she liked the idea. She wouldn't get bored having two of her better friends with her, and having something published, no matter that it would be as minor as in a school newspaper was oddly exciting to her. There wouldn't be anything, she would think, that she could theoretically injure herself on, and the class would certainly look good on her transcripts. A wide smile threatened her face. "I'll do it," she breathed, almost surprised at herself.

"Awesome!" Angela crowed, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder, "I can't wait to have you on our team!" Eric smiled broadly at her from across the table, nodding as excitedly as his girlfriend, "Me too."

Grabbing her sandwich to hide her pleased blush, Bella knew she couldn't have asked for better friends. Scarfing it down quickly, she listened to Angela and Eric fill Mike and Jessica in, the two having come out of their pre-relationship bubble at the sound of Angela's outburst.

Yeah… She wouldn't have immediately thought of that class as a possibility, but it really did sound like a good idea. Brushing the crumbs of bread off of her fingers and lips, she reached into her backpack and pulled out the first pen she could find. Quickly scribbling Journalism into the first choice section of the elective slip, she pondered what she should put as her second and third choice, but decided to keep them blank. "You'll put in a good word for me, right?" she asked Angela when the conversation had lulled.

"What? Oh, of course." Angela nodded, seeing the blank spots. "So, sign your name and get it over with! Turn it in!"

"Hah hah," Bella chuckled, "You just want me to go before I change my mind."

"Perish the thought." The cute girl smiled, then glanced at her watch, "Oh, but seriously, I think you should go turn it in now. There's about ten minutes left in lunch, and you might forget after school."

Bella nodded along. It actually _did _sound like a good idea. "Okay," she smiled, rising from the table, "You know best. See you guys in class!" She nodded goodbye at her group of friends, not able to keep her rolling eyes to herself when Mike and Jessica barely paid attention to her. Eric, who had caught her, just grinned and shrugged at her, then pointed at the spot she had used to sit, mouthing, 'Okay?' She smiled, making a 'go ahead' motion with her arms. Beaming, Eric stood up and sped around the table to sit where she had vacated, sliding his arm around Angela's waist. Aww. Too cute.

Shaking her head to herself, grinning, Bella started her walk to the office, dumping her tray as she did. She was happy for her friends, she really was, and they were each cute in their own relationship-y ways, but that didn't mean that she wasn't jealous of them. It wasn't like she had expected the population of Forks High to have jumped all over her when she had first arrived three months ago (she had been happy when that _hadn't_ happened, actually), and she really wasn't the most interested in a relationship person anyway, but that didn't mean she wasn't lonely. Which she kinda was.

Coming upon the door to the office, she opened it, expecting to not see anyone inside the room. However, someone (other than the secretary, which she had been sure should have been there but wasn't) was occupying the space, and she felt the breath whoosh out of her lungs.

It was one of the Cullens.

Pale, incredibly attractive, and with an aura that told you not to mess with them, everyone at Forks High knew who they were. In fact, Bella had Biology with one of them; they were partners, in fact, but that was Edward Cullen. There, standing in front of the box where the elective papers were supposed to go, was the smallest of the Cullen siblings. She had been pointed out to Bella her first day, but she hadn't really seen her since. Now, as she stared at the petite form, realizing that the older girl was turning around to face her, Bella really got her first look at Alice Cullen.

Short midnight black hair stylishly spiked in every direction, striking golden eyes that seemed to reflect the light from above so that they looked like they were glowing, kind smile tilted upwards on perfect lips… Bella couldn't help staring at her. Dressed in an expensive looking white blouse and black vest that accented her well proportioned chest and skinny waist, designer skinny jeans that hugged her hips and cute black flats, Alice Cullen looked very, very – perfectly even – put together. Glancing down surreptitiously at her own faded blue hoodie and even more faded blue jeans and Doc Martens, Bella suddenly felt underdressed.

"Are you here for the elective box?"

Bella snapped her head up. The voice that had just spoken was high and musical, almost like a tinkling of bells. Wow. She had thought Edward's voice was attractive, but his sister's blew his out of the water. That must be another thing the Cullens shared.

"Because if you are, I'm done with it."

Oh, crap! Alice had been talking to her! Blushing hotly, Bella nodded her head and took a jerky step forward. Of course, her shoe decided to alert her to the fact that it had come untied by placing its shoelace under its brother; with a breathy gasp, down she went, arms in front of her, bracing for impact.

…Well, she _would _have had to brace for impact, but it never came. Instead, two hands strong and smooth and cold caught her shoulders, stopping her fall. With almost no effort, Alice had strode forward two steps and reached out, pushing against Bella to stop her. Bella's hands had preceded her, and with a start, she realized that her palms were splayed against the smaller girl's forearm and bicep, her chin brushing against the top of Alice's hair. They had barely rocked, though Bella had thought for sure her forward momentum would have made her heavier than the small girl could have handled.

Her sense coming back to her with a loud squeak, Bella jumped back, barely avoiding falling backwards over her heels. "I'm so sorry!" she spluttered, feeling all the blood rushing to her face. "I'm just – I'm so clumsy, and I almost _killed_ you!" Absolutely mortified, she realized that Alice was laughing.

"That's quite all right, Ms. Swan. As you can see, I am still alive." With a beautiful smile on her face, the shorter girl smoothly bent to retrieve the paper Bella had dropped mid-fall. "However," she straightened, lips still curved upwards, "Maybe you should tie your shoe before you attempt to kill me again?" If anyone else had said that, Bella would have died from embarrassment. But Alice looked genuinely amused, her strange amber eyes twinkling.

Dropping to the floor with a still blushing nod, Bella quickly started fixing her shoelace. She was so thankful that the older girl didn't seem to hold anything against her. Tugging tightly on her lace to make sure it would _stay _tied, she straightened and accepted the paper Alice handed her. "Uhm, thank you," she cleared her throat, trying to stop herself from muttering, "For – for catching me."

"Oh, it's no problem. It's just a good thing I was here to stop injury, yes?" Alice smiled at her sweetly.

Bella blinked. How… How could someone be so _nice_? Bella had almost _killed_ her (okay, maybe only hurt her, but still), and yet Alice was more concerned about Bella! "Still, thank you," she said roughly, then quickly skipped around the girl before another blush could engulf her face.

Another tinkling laugh filled the air of the room as Bella shoved her paper into the box marked 'Electives Slips.' Very obvious, but she was thankful for that. Alice's laughter made her a little heady.

"I look forward to seeing you next quarter," Alice said from behind her, and Bella turned around to see the pale girl standing near the door, her hand on the doorknob.

"Huh?"

"You filled in Journalism, didn't you?"

"Oh." Bella's heart lurched in her chest, and her eyes widened. "You… You're taking it too?" she stuttered.

Alice smiled broadly, her eyes catching the light again, "I am."

"Oh," Bella repeated, and then closed her eyes briefly at her awkwardness. Duh, appear like more of a moron, why don't you?

Alice nodded at her, then opened the door. A kind smile played on her face, seemingly never coming off, "Well, I must go off to class, but have a good day, Ms. Swan."

"You too!" Bella replied, but the small girl had already slipped through and disappeared, the door closing with a quiet click behind her. Standing in the now empty room, she stared at the door. Well. That had been… different.

Turning on her heel to look at the box and make sure that her paper had made its way all the way through the slot, a foreign smell suddenly invaded her nose. It smelled divine, like the best of perfumes, a mixture of vanilla and jasmine. Sniffing around the room but not finding anything that could explain where the scent was coming from, Bella finally realized that the smell was coming from _her_. In the fallout of the almost face plant, all her concentration had been saving her pride. Not on how Alice had smelled. But now obviously, she realized, she'd managed to steal some of the girl's perfume. And wow, did it smell good. She'd have to ask her what it was, if she got the chance.

Satisfied that her paper had been received and hearing the first bell ring overhead, Bella realized she'd spent enough time in the office and it was time to make her way to Biology. So, secretly breathing in the exquisite smell that was Alice's perfume all the way to her class, she tried to put the whole embarrassing fiasco behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, first of all, thank you guys _so _much for the overwhelming response to this story! I've _never _had such a deluge of favorites and alerts and reviews, so it totally made my week. Thank you. *wide smile* This really is a new thing I'm working with/writing, but I hope you'll continue to support me. Anyways, here's the next chapter; I hope you enjoy. :}

* * *

Alice Cullen had to be the nicest person _ever_.

Her brother Edward was not.

While they had managed to form a working Biology class partnership, Bella still hadn't managed to crack through his thick exterior. In fact, she doubted she'd ever seen him smile. But his reaction when she strolled into class and took her seat was unlike anything he had ever exhibited before.

His nostrils had flared, and Bella could swear the table under his hands cracked, he was gripping it so hard. Whoah. Maybe he was allergic to Alice's perfume? "You… Okay?" she asked timidly, frankly scared by his expression. Just in case, she kept her backpack between him and her, ready to chuck it at his face if he lunged. He probably wouldn't do that, but… Just in case.

"Why do you smell like my sister?" His beautiful voice was clipped and heavy, and she took an involuntary step back at his tone.

"Are you allergic?" she said barely over a whisper. She wouldn't have thought Alice would wear something one of her brothers would be allergic to, but there was always the off chance she didn't know. Her mind flashed back to Alice saving her, and she mentally shook her head. No, Alice must have been wearing a lot, to get it all over Bella with that brief interaction, and that was something Edward would have obviously noticed even before they left the house.

The pale boy blinked, and he relaxed, the muscles in his perfectly sculpted jaw relaxing. "No," he said in a much quieter voice, the tension relaxing from his body at a record pace, "I'm sorry. It just startled me."

"Does… Does it bother you?" Feeling a little safer, Bella lowered her backpack and took a cautious step forward. Her heart still beat a little faster in her chest, but it was quickly slowing.

"No."

Bella eyed him nervously but took her normal seat at the counter. She got out her books and notebook and arranged everything, wondering if Edward was going to say anything else. When more than a minute passed and nothing more was said, she took a deep breath and asked, "Are you feuding with your sister, or something?"

"What?" Edward had shifted his focus to the front of the class, and he looked back at her, intense as always. "Why would you ask that?"

"Hey," Bella raised her hands in the air and put an innocent expression on her face. "I only asked because you were pretty… fierce."

"Fierce?" An almost smile appeared on Edward's face, though she decided it looked more like a smirk. Amazingly, the handsome boy made a noise that almost could have been a chuckle. She could barely believe it. After three months, it was calling him _fierce _that got a laugh out of him?

Bella almost pouted. Edward suddenly seemed incredibly calm, his actions from earlier fading from her mind. It was definitely throwing her for a loop.

Edward took a deep breath, shaking his head. Accepting the paper Mr. Banner handed to him from where he was suddenly standing, he glanced down at it briefly before looking back at her. "I'm sorry, Bella," his pen started scratching his name onto the worksheet, "I was just completely surprised. My sister doesn't normally… interact with people. People tend to avoid her, you see. When you came in with her… perfume following you, I, well, I'm ashamed to say I feared the worst."

"The worst?" Bella took her own worksheet, smiled at Mr. Banner and quickly wrote her own name in the space provided. What could Edward mean? "Wait," she snapped her head quickly at him, catching his gaze. "You… You thought I had _attacked _her?" Hurt colored her voice high. Who did Edward think she was? "Edward, I've never given you any reason to think I was… I was some kind of _delinquent_, have I?"

Edward raised his hand to stop her harsh whispering, shaking his head, thick bronze hair catching the light as it moved. "No, I apologize. My words are not coming out as I mean them too. I did not think _you _had accosted _her_."

Accosted? Strange word. Nevertheless, something about the way Edward had pronounced his sentence…

"What?" She squeaked. That was preposterous! Alice was so… _small_. Delicate. Too kind. Nothing about her seemed to scream 'Alice Cullen is a great big bully!'

Edward pushed their microscope at her, probably trying to derail the conversation. He gestured at it with a flick of his wrist, "You want to get started on the worksheet?"

It kind of worked. Glowering a little at him, she slid the microscope closer to her and looked down at her sheet. She was going to work on the class work with him, but it didn't mean she would let him off the hook. She was still a little miffed about the misunderstood 'Bella as a hooligan'. And Alice as an attacker? Pshaw! Of what?

"You're not off the hook, you know," she reiterated from her thoughts, trying to keep the petulant pout she knew would probably come out of her mouth out of her words, but failed.

"Of course." Edward's amber eyes stared at her again, but he seemed to find some amusement from her tone anyways; his gaze wasn't as pointed as usual. "I would be disappointed if you did not follow through."

"Hah hah." Finding her voice more sarcastic than she meant it, she shook her head. "Edward Cullen, you are strange."

"Glad to hear it."

The rest of the class went fairly normally, both she and Edward having an above average grasp of Biology. While Bella had already learned what she was being taught at her old school, she figured that her partner was just intelligent. It made doing the class work less annoying as it would have been if she had been clueless, but the fact that they got done well before the end of class meant that, well, they got done well before the end of class.

With her chin in her hand, Bella gazed cross-eyed at the surface of the table. There were eight minutes left in the class, and she'd already gone over every answer on the worksheet three or four times. "So, Edward…" she drawled, looking over to see what the pale boy was doing.

Not looking up from the book he was reading, he turned the page. "Yes, Bella?"

Bella leaned forward to get a glimpse of the title, and Edward obligingly raised the book from the tilt it had been in, "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, really?"

Edward nodded, his attention mainly on the story.

Huh. Feeling a little neglected, she sat back into her seat and decided to get out her iPod. Mr. Banner shouldn't get mad at her if she was already finished. So, slipping the earbuds into her ears, she set her iPod to shuffle, the strains of a song she couldn't recall the name of quickly filling up most of her attention. However, her eyes still weren't occupied, so she flicked her gaze back at her partner.

She'd have to read Frankenstein for herself one day. One of her old friends at the high school in Phoenix had once tried to start a conversation with her about how culpable the monster really was for his evil actions, but Bella had had to bow out. Still, maybe now was the time to check it out. Maybe she could ask to borrow it when Edward was done reading it.

Thoughts of Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster and what little she knew about the story smoothly turned into thoughts of what had happened in the office earlier that day. How had someone so petite caught her so solidly?

Regardless, it was really embarrassing. Of _course _her innate sense of clumsiness would make it known the first time she met the smaller girl. What a way to introduce herself. Bella blushed, feeling self conscious again. And they'd be in the same class next quarter, too! Well, probably. Hopefully she could make up Alice's impression of her.

But still, Bella caught a whiff of the perfume again, Alice Cullen was really nice. And smelled nice, too. Like, really, really nice. Oh god. Bella almost buried her face into her hands at the mental image that popped up of her following the older girl around and smelling her obsessively.

A vibration from the table made her look up to see Edward shaking from laughter behind his book.

* * *

The rest of the Fall quarter went normally, and Bella was swiftly swept up into the usual grind of high school. What had happened in the office faded from her memory, and Bella managed to almost forget about the Journalism class coming up as well. That didn't last long, though, when the electives were posted, and Angela had been on hand when she found out she had indeed made the class.

The brunette had gotten really excited and immediately started pestering her about what she'd like to do her first story on. It wasn't until Bella pointed out that she should actually attend a class first and get an idea for herself what would be expected from her and what she'd like to do that Angela backed down. Still, Bella knew her friend probably already had a whole list of ideas written down somewhere that she was just _waiting _to pull out.

Mike had ended up on the Basketball team as he hoped, and Jessica was indeed the newest member of Fork High's cheerleading squad. Looking over at the two teenagers who were lost in their own world, Bella almost gagged then turned back to Angela and Eric, who had just arrived. "I say two weeks," she grinned, raising an eyebrow, "You in?"

"Oooh. Betting for monetary gain?" Eric rubbed his hands together.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Sure. I have…" she thought quickly, "Twenty dollars."

Angela shook her head, "You guys, as amusing as I find this, betting on our friend's personal lives does not sit well with me."

Her boyfriend poked her. "Oh c'mon, Ange. You know you want to." He kissed her forehead and then turned back to Bella. "I agree. Twenty dollars on a month." He stuck out his hand.

Bella took it, "Done! Angela, you in?" She smirked at her friend, who still looked like she was weighing pros and cons. Eric added a ridiculous puppy dog eyes pout, his eyes twinkling.

Angela took one look at her boyfriend and cracked up. "Fine," she grinned, "Put me in for a week."

And indeed, within a week, Mike and Jessica _finally _became a twosome. And it was very hormonally disgusting, but somewhat of a relief, too (though her wallet hated her for it). At least her friends hadn't started the 'since we're in relationships and you aren't, we should set you up!' phase yet. Thankfully, Angela and Eric hadn't tried that for very long, back when they had first started dating. Tyler Crowley was cute, but Bella hadn't been interested.

With the cementation of the other two of her friends into a relationship, came the beginning of Winter quarter. And new electives. Which meant Journalism class, and the reality of working on the school newspaper. Of course, Angela and Eric were completely stoked to have Bella with them, but she was beginning to rethink her decision. It wasn't that she couldn't do the work handed to her (because she could); it was just… Reporters had to _talk _to people. Over the phone, face-to-face… She just _knew _she'd be clumsy at it. That class of public speaking she'd taken two years ago only went so far.

So, while her friends eagerly walked her to the classroom where Journalism class was held, she was seriously trying to figure out how to broach the subject of taking the copy editor's job. Should she just come outright and say it? Or volunteer when the position was talked about? Or were the various jobs appointed, and would they be randomly decided?

Sliding into a desk next to Angela, Bella looked curiously around the room. For all intents and purposes, the headquarters for Forks High Tribune was a normal classroom, though she knew that one of the seemingly closet doors was actually a walk-in dark room (Eric had gone all nerd-happy and started spewing out information of the photo developing process after Bella had gotten accepted). There were computers lining the walls of the room, and near the far end, it looked like a wall had been knocked down and the back of the classroom actually opened up into the classroom behind it. In there, she could see two long tables that had piles of papers stacked on top of them. More computers lined the walls, though they looked more 'official'. Probably, as well, the teacher's office was tucked in there somewhere, but she couldn't see it from her angle.

"So!" Angela's brown eyes looked all bright and shiny as the cute girl leaned over Bella, "What do you think?"

"It looks…" Bella searched for the correct words as she watched various students come in and start filling up the desks around her, "…Not like what I expected, actually. Do you print the newspapers here?"

Angela shook her head, fixing her glasses with her pointer finger. "No, Mrs. Roberts takes a thumb drive with the newspaper plans to an outside source and they print it out there. Forks High doesn't have the technology."

…To rebuild her, Bella continued in her mind, cracking herself up. Outwardly, though, she made sure she looked normal, then nodded. "I see." Looking over the room, she didn't feel so nervous anymore. The laid back feeling she was getting relaxed her. She smiled at Angela, who smiled back broadly.

Eric approached from the back of the classroom, done with dropping off the rolls of film he had shot over the past week. Halfway over to them, he stopped, staring at the door of the classroom with his jaw open. Looking over to see what had caught his attention, Bella felt a hot blush infuse her face.

Almost dancing through the door, her notebook loosely sandwiched in between her arm and waist, Alice Cullen had _arrived_.

Surveying the room, the small girl had a slight smile on her face, smiling wider whenever anyone caught her gaze. That day, she had chosen to wear another fitted blouse, black this time, and without a vest. She had a couple of necklaces that hung from her neck, and a pair of gray-brown capris that cinched high at her waist and came down to just below her knees. Another pair of cute black flats completed the outfit. Again, Bella felt she was looking at an under-height model. Even her hair, ironed flat and framing her face, looked expertly done.

"…Wow," Angela whispered.

"Yeah," Bella nodded, then blinked, feeling as if she was staring. She tore her gaze away from Alice and turned back to the front of class, "Guess she really did get in, too."

Angela, who had heard about what had happened, nodded, then stood up to go collect her boyfriend who had gotten distracted again by another student, someone Bella didn't recognize. Shrugging, she leaned back in her chair. She idly wondered where Alice would choose to sit, but didn't want to turn her head to look, knowing that would be slightly stalker-ish. She took out her iPod; to her, it was like what Jessica's phone was to Jessica – Bella's lifeline to the land of no boredom.

There was a slight noise behind her to the left, but she ignored it, thumbing through her music library. What would it be today, she mused, punk or emo or rock or whatever else she'd collected over the years she'd had her trusty friend? Honestly, she couldn't make up her mind, so she once again clicked the shuffle.

She was about to put the earbuds in when Alice spoke up, "May I see what's on your iPod?"

Whoah! Bella froze and turned around in her seat to see bright amber eyes looking directly at her. Once again, Alice Cullen was smiling kindly at her. The pale girl had taken the seat diagonally behind her.

Eyes wide, Bella stuttered, "S-sure…" She handed her iPod over after clicking it to paused. Did Alice want to borrow it?

"Thank you!" Eagerly reading through Bella's library, the black haired girl hummed happily to herself. Bella prayed she wouldn't notice her complete collection of Aqua songs. That was just _embarrassing_.

Finally, apparently reaching the end of the list, another wide smile took over the older girl's mouth, and she handed the iPod back; Bella tried to stop the shiver that went through her body when small cold fingers touched her own.

"Well?" she asked.

"I approve!"

Bella chuckled, "While I wasn't looking for approval, thank you. Uhm, though, why did you want to see my iPod?" She picked at her notebook.

Alice 'hmmed', looking to the side momentarily, then looked back at her. "Well, I have a feeling the teacher's going to be a little late."

There was a beat, and Bella waited. Ohh…Kay…? "Okay?" she asked.

Alice smiled again. Did she _always_ smile? It was like the polar opposite of her brother. "I was hoping you'd let me share your music."

"But I hardly know you," Bella pointed out.

"You're sitting near me, aren't you?"

"Yeah. So?"

"And we've met before."

Bella blushed. She'd _really _been hoping Alice would have forgotten that. "Erm, yes."

A giant even happier expression suddenly took over the beautiful girl's face, and Bella found that her heart started pounding. It was almost… too _exquisite _an expression that it shouldn't have existed. Whoah. No wonder Edward said people found her strange. She was very… _open_.

"You see?" Alice's voice lilted happily, "We know each other. And we're in the same class. I'm sure we'll get to know each other better."

Bella eyed her. "Are you… Are you like this with everyone?"

Alice blinked. "Of course!" she trilled, and Bella believed her. It made her a little sad, but she wasn't sure why, so she ignored the feeling.

Shrugging, and making sure that Angela and Eric were still occupied across the room, Bella stood up, gathered her stuff, and then took the seat behind the one she had previously occupied. Grabbing her earbuds, she looked down at them before handing the one meant for the right ear over to the older girl. Alice looked at it, looked at the length of the cord, and then smoothly stood up and pushed her desk over so it sat right next to Bella's. Retaking her seat, she grinned at Bella and put the earbud in.

Ohh, goodness. Alice was sitting so close to her that she could smell her perfume again. It was like the smaller girl _bathed _in it. Usually overpowering scents gave her a headache, but this particular brand of perfume wasn't having that affect on her, which was nice. Putting her own earbud in, she checked to make sure that Alice was ready. With a smile, the other girl nodded, and Bella pressed play.

Of _course_ Barbie Girl had to suddenly blast through the speakers, and she immediately jammed her thumb onto the skip button so hard she was afraid she was going to hurt either herself or the iPod. Thankfully, neither of those things happened, and the playlist skipped to Pink's I Don't Believe You. That was a more acceptable choice, and she kept it. "Volume good?" she asked.

"Yup!" Kindly enough, Alice did not comment on the violent switch of songs, though Bella could swear she could see laughter swimming in her vibrant golden eyes.

"Okay, good."

They quietly listened to the iPod, sitting close enough that Bella drew in Alice's perfume with each breath. She really _really _hoped that that was okay, and didn't make her some kind of perv. So she thought another girl smelled good. That wasn't bad, right? She would ask what the perfume was after class; for right now, she didn't want to interrupt the music.

Absently, recalling the conversation from before, she wondered why Edward had thought Alice capable of attacking someone. The girl next to her, who smiled happily at her when she caught her gaze, making Bella look down self consciously for having been caught, just didn't look like someone who was capable of harming anyone.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I know this is a slow and different chapter, but it is important for the future of this story. Also, a couple of people brought up some valid questions that I figured I'd address here. First of all, Edward's reaction to Bella smelling like Alice may have been a little extreme, but I wrote it with the idea that Alice hadn't told him about the interaction yet, so it came out of nowhere. First and foremost on Edward's mind is keeping his family's secret, so he was basically blindsided. Next, I know I haven't addressed the issue of Jasper, but that's because he hasn't shown up in the fic yet. As for Alice being 'interested' in Bella, I was kind of surprised. For me, in high school, people always shared their iPods (if they had them), and I like to think of Alice as just an affable little pixie who's not afraid to interact with humans because of her supreme control of her hunger. Hopefully you'll see that she's not treating Bella any different than any other person - - yet.

Also, just a quick note: I have nothing against fics that have Bella as more than human/can't read minds/soulmate/etc. In fact, I greatly enjoy them. I certainly didn't mean to imply that I didn't. I hope nobody got offended!

Anyway, on with the show!

* * *

Mrs. Roberts swept into the class ten minutes late. A slightly overweight woman with dark brown hair thrown up in a haphazard bun, she apologized profusely for being so as she strode to the side of the first classroom; Bella assumed it probably worked as the 'front of the class', seeing as the usual front was an open space with no wall. With a click and popping noise, she had set her briefcase down on an empty desk and opened it. Taking out a few sheets of paper, she started calling roll.

Coolness touched Bella's hand, and she turned her head to see Alice holding the iPod earbud, offering it to her. Oh, right! With a quick flurry, she turned off her iPod and safely stowed it away into her backpack, zipping everything up just in time to hear Alice call out happily, "Here!"

As soon as Mrs. Roberts connected the voice with the face, Alice turned to her and whispered, "Thank you for sharing."

"Mmm? Oh, yes, sure. You're welcome." Answering Alice's smile with her own hesitant one, Bella turned back to watching the teacher and waiting for her name. Though her last name was farther down in the alphabet, it was still called before Angela or Eric's, and she looked to see what her friends were doing. Not surprisingly, they were staring at the two of them with wide eyes. Bella weakly smiled, and they turned back around.

Soon, all the names were called, though Bella didn't try to memorize them. Unless she interacted with people on a daily basis or had to work closely with someone, there was no point in even trying to remember them all, no matter names to faces. She just wouldn't be able to do it. Besides, she knew the important ones: Mrs. Roberts, Eric Yorkie, Angela Weber, and probably Alice Cullen. It didn't take a genius to realize that Alice would become important to the newspaper.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Shuffling her papers back into the briefcase, Mrs. Roberts took a calculating sweep of the class with her eyes. "Now, I'm going to do a little bit of 'getting to know you' type things today. Not hard stuff. No, I'll leave that to returning students." She grinned, and a couple of people groaned good naturedly. Walking around the desk, she leaned her hip back onto it, taking a half seat, "Take out a sheet of paper and something to write with."

Bella opened her notebook, tearing out the first blank page. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Alice doing the same thing. However, the small girl took the time to neatly rip along the perforated edge instead of just yanking it out like Bella had. Bella winced a little internally and quickly removed the ragged edges – for some reason, it just made her feel better, like she saved face or something.

"Everyone got one? Good. Never be caught without paper and pen or pencil, first rule of reporting. Now, write your name – first _and _last – and what you want to do in this class: writer, photographer, editor, researcher… Whatever you think fits you best."

A blonde girl raised her hand, and Mrs. Roberts nodded at her, "What if we wanted to do something that you didn't name?"

"Then go ahead and write it down." The brunette woman smiled. "Even if you have no idea, write _that _down."

Bella stared down at her paper, rolling her pen between her fingers. She'd written her name down already, which was good. At least she knew that much. And she hadn't even misspelled it, either! Amazing. She rolled her shoulders, biting her lower lip. Yeah… She _really _did not want to be a copy editor.

"When you're done, go ahead and pass the papers up."

Well, what the heck? Writing for the school newspaper was what had interested her to begin with (as well as hang with friends, but that was embarrassing to admit), so she scribbled 'Writer', folded the paper, and stretched forward to pass it off to Angela. A second later, she passed Alice's piece of paper up as well. "What'd you pick?" she whispered.

Alice just smiled impishly, her eyes meeting Bella's with a slight twinkle, "You'll see." She sounded like she was in on a private joke, so Bella shrugged and turned back to see what the teacher was doing.

Still… She was curious. "I don't suppose if I told you mine, you'd return the favor?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth.

Alice giggled, and the magical tinkling of bells sound made Bella's head feel cloudy again. "Like show me yours and I'll show you mine?"

Bella's eyes widened, and she made a soft choking sound, coughing. Her seemingly ever present blush rushed to her face. Good _lord_. That made her think thoughts she really shouldn't be thinking! Even if Alice Cullen smelled really, really nice. Which was beside the point. Jeez.

Ugh. She slid down in her seat, glaring over at Alice, who seemed altogether too amused at her reaction. Before she could even think of a suitable response, Mrs. Roberts had started talking again, and Bella shifted her attention, almost grateful at the interruption. Honestly, there was no way she could have thought up something witty.

"Alright, I've sorted out the answers that you all have written down, and may I say I'm happy with the percentages. That means it'll be easier to get this quarter's newspaper up and running!" Mrs. Roberts grinned at the students, then looked down at the three stacks she had arranged on the desk. "Okay, so when I call your name, please come up here, and I'll tell you what to do. It may seem random at first, but you're all smart kids," someone yelled out, "I doubt that!" and Mrs. Roberts waited for the chuckles to die down before she continued, "Well, regardless, I'm sure _most_ of you will figure it out soon enough."

Bella rolled her eyes. She never understood kids who randomly yelled things out. They usually only succeeded in making things take longer.

Mrs. Roberts started calling out names, setting papers aside as she went, and Bella unconsciously leaned forward, "Angela Weber? Nice to have you back. Go ahead and stay with Eric for this exercise."

Her friends made some happy noises, and she grinned at them when they looked back at her. Obviously, they knew what was going on.

"Amanda Prentiss? Okay, Dylan Caper, can you please raise your hand? Good. Amanda, go sit with Dylan. Mallory Bennit? George Thomas? Find each other." And so on. Pretty soon, the classroom was a flurry of moving students and chairs being pushed in and out. Eventually, the list of students who hadn't been called started dwindling.

Bella shot Alice a quick glance, taking in her calm, patient expression. Were _they_ going to be partners? She really didn't know how she'd feel about that. If Bella was going to work with the beautiful older girl for at least that class period, there was a good chance she'd overdose on Alice Cullen. Still, that'd allow her to ask about what perfume she was using…

"Bella? Bella Swan? Please raise your hand."

Alice nudged Bella's elbow, and Bella squeaked, instantly snapped out of her thoughts. "Wha?"

"You're being called." Alice motioned at the teacher, smiling amusedly again.

Bella thrust her hand up, blushing, barely meeting Mrs. Robert's eyes.

"Ah, good. Brandon, go over and sit with her."

Oh. So Alice wasn't going to be her partner. Bella felt a flash of disappointment, but before she could do anything, Alice was called next and Brandon had made his way over. With a slight smile and nod, the beautiful girl pulled up her things and allowed the new boy to take her seat.

Brandon was skinny yet masculine like many guys managed to be, with short cropped brown hair and an easy grin. He was kind of cute, Bella allowed, and she smiled back at him when he took the seat Alice Cullen had just vacated. "Whoah, nice smell," he noted, and Bella almost frowned. Somehow, she had thought _she _was the only one allowed to have smelled Alice's perfume.

Shaking off the disappointment she still felt, and pointedly _not _watching the small figure making her way across the room, Bella nodded, making a noncommittal noise.

"So, I'm Brandon," Brandon nodded at her, "And I have _no _idea what's going on."

Bella grinned. "I'm Bella, and I have no idea either."

"Well then! That makes us on the same page."

"Indeed." Hah hah. Bad pun.

Brandon had the grace to look slightly ashamed. "Hah hah," he shook his head, "Unintentional pun. I'm very sorry."

"No worries." Bella waved her hand, "I found it amusing."

"Awesome!" Brandon smiled again, and this time Bella noticed that he really did have a nice smile. While she felt self conscious truly smiling, the boy in front of her seemed to have no problem.

After a slight lull in conversation, Bella playing with her pen again and Brandon studying the cover of his Forks High notebook, she realized that after his faux pas, the teenage boy was probably cursing himself and wouldn't be eager to talk again any time soon for fear he'd make a fool of himself. Even if she'd already said it was fine. She grinned mentally. Boys were so easy to understand.

"So…" she started, tapping her pen on the desk to attract his attention, "What did you write down?"

"Photographer. You?"

"Writer."

"Cool."

Bella nodded her head. "Yep. You too."

Thankfully, Mrs. Roberts started speaking again. Bella was _so_ bad at small talk, so she was glad she apparently didn't have to do any more of it; the teacher was finally beginning to explain what she wanted the class to do, and Bella couldn't wait to hear it.

* * *

Actually, it was a pretty cool assignment. Mrs. Roberts had paired writers with either photographers or artists, and 'no ideas' with people in the 'other' category. Then she'd given the photographers cameras and told them how to use them, and anyone else whatever it was they needed. Smiling at the group, Mrs. Roberts told them they had two days to come up with an article (about _anything _they wanted), and sent the pairs off after cautioning them she didn't want to get any word of her students bothering any of the classes.

Blinking at each other, Bella shrugged and grabbed up her notebook and pen, while Brandon stood up as well, the camera slung around his neck. Opting to leave the rest of their stuff in the classroom, the two of them walked through the door and into the cool December air.

Groups of chattering pairs streamed out of the classroom around them. It was obvious that some were excited about the project, while others ranged from ambivalent to downright annoyed. Why would people even take Journalism class if they didn't _want _to do journalism? She shook her head. Some people were weird. Ah well, better get started on the project. She had plenty of time to muse about the hypocrisy of the human race later.

"So, Brandon," she turned around to face her partner as Angela and Eric walked up, "You have any ideas?" Whoah! It hadn't been as noticeable, but Brandon was a good head taller than her. She eyed him critically; what grade was he in?

The boy smiled, then nodded at her friends. It hadn't been obvious in the classroom, but he had pretty green eyes. Bella shook her head mentally. Pretty? Alice's perfume must be affecting her head more than she thought – and goodness, did it still smell heavenly – because Bella Swan had _never _used the adjective pretty to describe _any _part of a male before.

But the realization that she found Brandon's eyes pretty made her pause. Did this mean… Had she finally found a guy she could be attracted to? He wasn't as perfectly attractive as Edward Cullen, and he wasn't as rugged as her friend Jacob Black, but he had his own air of… easygoing cuteness. Bella blinked, mouthing the words 'easygoing cuteness?' Good lord, what had Alice's perfume _done _to her?

But Angela was speaking, and Bella decided she'd rather concentrate on that. She thrust the questions of whether or not she found Brandon attractive to the back of her mind.

"Oh yeah," Angela nodded, "I always like when we get to do this. I mean, so much leeway? It's great."

"But, without guidelines," Bella cut in, furrowing her brow a bit, "Isn't it a little hard to _actually_ get anything done?"

Eric thought for a second, then nodded. "Oh, I get what you mean. Too much free reign equals not enough motivation to finish?"

"Yeah." Bella shuffled her feet a little, biting her lower lip. Her and motivation had always had a tempestuous relationship. She was excited at the prospect of complete control with the assignment, but at the same time… Not. It was a little confusing, to be honest.

A strong finger poked her, and she looked up to see Brandon grinning at her. "Hey, partner," the boy stressed the word partner, "That's probably why Mrs. Roberts put us in pairs. I'm here to keep ya in line."

Bella stared at him, then quirked her lips. "You're probably right," she allowed, "Thanks. But then why don't I feel any better about it?"

"Hey!" Brandon raised his hands, looking mock offended.

Bella rolled her eyes, smirking, and refocused on Angela and Eric who seemed to be looking between her and Brandon with intrigued, wide smiles on their faces. Her stomach dropped. Oh god, noooo… Could they just – please – no - !

But her mental pleading was cut off when Angela adjusted her glasses and slyly asked, "So, what grade are you in, Brandon?"

"I'm a sophomore. Why? What are you guys?"

"We're all juniors," Eric included Bella and Angela with a motion of his head.

Angela still had a devious grin on her face, so the year difference didn't seem to bother her. Come _on_. "I thought we'd been _through_ this," Bella muttered just loudly enough so her friend could hear it, "I'm _not_ looking for anyone."

The tall brunette just cough-laughed and took her boyfriend's hand. "Well, we should probably get on with figuring out what we want to do. It was nice meeting you, Brandon. See ya later, Bells!" And with smiles and slight waves, the two were off.

Oh god. Bella wanted to bury her head in her hands. She knew her friends meant well, but to start _this _up again…! Mike and Jessica's new relationship must have reawakened the sense of 'dating guilt' in her friends. She hated dating guilt. Very much.

"Well…" she strung the word along, switching her notebook to her other arm, "Sorry for the interruption."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Brandon shook his head, "Your friends seem nice." He smiled. "Come up with any ideas yet?"

"Hey, that was supposed to be _my_ line!"

"Hey, _you_'_re_ the writer! You come up with all the ideas; I just point and shoot." He mimed doing so.

Bella grinned. "Why do I get the feeling I'll have to keep _you_ in line?" she asked.

Brandon smirked.

* * *

They ended up wandering Forks High for half an hour, bandying ideas back and forth, for some reason or other deciding against each one. Brandon was a pretty cool guy, and Bella found herself enjoying his company. He liked a lot of the same music she did, and a lot of the same movies and tv shows (because of course when thinking of ideas grows boring, the topic always changes to music and film). He actually wasn't that much younger, either, which didn't make her feel as guilty as she did when she hung out with Jacob. Age was just a number, yeah, but that still didn't mean that 15 and 17 weren't _ages _apart when it came to teenagers. But Brandon was 16, so he was, she didn't know, safer?

And interestingly enough, something about her partner seemed so _familiar_. Like something about him was similar to herself, but she just couldn't… No, she couldn't put her finger on it.

By the time they had made a loop of the high school, a light drizzle had started up. Bella had zipped her notebook up under her jacket, and Brandon had done the same with the camera. While she had dreaded the rain and cold weather when she had moved first moved back to Forks, she'd slowly gotten used to it, and even looked forward to when it rained. In some ways, being in the rain made her feel more alive than being in the heat. She wouldn't go so far as quote the cliché 'it washed her soul clean', but she did feel renewed after she took a hike through the woods around her house. …Though, that never lasted long because she was prone to coming down with a cold a day later.

"Do you like the rain?" she asked Brandon.

"Hah! Bella, I _live _in Forks. I've grown up here. Of course I," the boy tapped her hood and made some of the water droplets drop off, "Do."

Bella let out the breath of air she'd been holding, shaking her head so more droplets fell. "I thought you were going to say something else," she admitted.

Brandon settled down next to her, a comfortable foot of space between them on the bench. They were under one of the tarps that were set up around the school so outside-freak students could always be outside, no matter the weather. "That's what I wanted you think," he teased, looking out over the mini-courtyard, "Man, I can't wait to move to a bigger city."

"Yeah?" Bella looked at him. The teenage boy suddenly looked terribly serious.

"Yeah. There's isn't too much around here for someone like me." That statement had such the air of finality in it that she didn't want to ask what he meant.

"Okay." Bella licked her lips and went back to watching the rain. She was happy the wind hadn't started up yet. If it did, they'd surely have to move, and she was quite comfortable.

"So…" Brandon suddenly spoke up, his voice almost hesitant.

Curious, Bella turned to him, "Yeah?"

"I saw you talking to Alice Cullen before class."

A jolt hit her at the sound of Alice's name. "Is that not allowed?" she asked. She hadn't seen anyone else ever talking to the illustrious Cullen siblings, but then again, she only had one (now two) classes with one. Chances were, each Cullen had people in class they talked to. But still… Maybe she hadn't imagined the unspoken rule that no one talked to them.

"Oh, no," Brandon shook his head, smiling at her, "I wasn't judging. I was just surprised. I think it's good that you're talking to her. I've always thought it strange that everyone avoided the Cullens, you know? I don't have any classes with them – well, I guess, I didn't – so that was my first real look at one of them."

"Oh yeah," Bella agreed, smiling back, "Everyone treats them as, mmm… _royalty_, I guess would be a good way to put it. But Alice's really nice. She wanted to look at my iPod."

Brandon looked surprised. "Yeah? That's so…"

"Random?"

"Yeah! That's the word. That's so… random. But kinda not, if you think about it. I mean, Mrs. Roberts _was _late, and she was probably bored."

Bella hadn't thought about it that way. While she hadn't exactly realized that Alice listening to her iPod with her was a revolutionary act, it _was _true that the rest of the school's population probably thought so. She frowned. How should she feel about that?

Then she remembered what had happened, and got distracted from her troubling thoughts again. "But oh god, it was _so _embarrassing!" Bella whacked Brandon's leg energetically. "_Barbie Girl_ was the first song to pop up!"

He gaped at her, then choked and let out a loud guffaw.

Not able to help it, Bella laughed along with him.

"Well, you two look like you're having fun," a familiar voice greeted them, and Bella froze in mid-laugh. Oh _please_, let Alice not have heard what they were laughing about!

And indeed, coming towards them were Alice Cullen and a vaguely familiar blonde. Alice had a stylish black coat cinched around her waist – probably a designer raincoat, Bella figured – and a slight bulge at her chest showed that the small girl must have written 'Photographer' down on her sheet of paper. Her pale white skin seemed to glow a little in the rain, as her raincoat had no hood. Despite the beads of water that sat on her hair, she still looked incredibly made up. Bella wondered what kind of make up she used, then realized that was reaching stalker level again and pulled her mind away. In the drizzle, Alice Cullen looked like a rain… pixie? Yeah, rain pixie was a good name for her.

Oh. Heh. Heh heh heh. A thought hit Bella, and she couldn't resist turning to Brandon and quipping, smirking, "Writer…" She gestured at herself. "Photographer…" She then waved her hand at him, "I guess you and I _weren_'_t_ on the same page after all."

"Huh?" Brandon looked cross for a second at her random comment, but then a light bulb went off, "_Hah_!"

Bella grinned. Sometimes she had her moments.

Alice and her partner finished making their way over to the bench, and Bella slid one way while Brandon slid the other way, leaving the middle of the bench open. It wasn't a big bench, but it did have enough room to fit the now four of them if Alice and the other girl didn't mind. She nodded at them, smiling, "Go ahead and have a seat."

Alice smiled back, looking at her partner, and then hopped forward and took the seat closest to Bella. "Come on, Liz, sit," she patted the open spot.

The blonde girl only hesitated a moment before Brandon smiled at her, and she sat down, blushing a little. It was then that Bella realized why she looked familiar; she was in her English class. A quiet girl, but wonderful with words. She'd be a good person for the newspaper, definitely. And with Alice as photographer, who no doubt would be outstanding, Bella found herself looking forward to reading the article they chose to do.

Which reminded her. "So, Alice, hey Liz, what have you guys decided your article's gonna be on?"


End file.
